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MIT proposes $450M Lincoln Lab facility

By Evan Lips, elips@lowellsun.com

Updated:
04/23/2012 06:31:19 AM EDT

BEDFORD -- Rather than shrink and shed jobs under the threat of federal budget cuts, Hanscom Air Force base is on the verge of expanding thanks to the promise of a new investment and a partnership with the private sector.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology officials confirmed Friday the private university is planning to build a $450 million research facility at the base, which will be run by MIT's Lincoln Laboratory.

The lab, located just across the town line in Lexington, is used to produce small electronic components that are later introduced into new defense communications and aerospace technologies. Dating back to 1951, the facility has revolutionized science in technical fields like radar, lasers, air-traffic control and optics.

Israel Ruiz, vice president for finance at MIT, said the project will be backed by a yet-to-be-determined third-party investor. After the 300,000-square-foot research lab is finished, the government will then lease space. Over a long period of time, the cash invested by MIT will be repaid by the federal government on an annual basis.

The project gained traction as more information about the proposal passed through the Pentagon. Massachusetts Senators Scott Brown and John Kerry touted the legislative initiative in a joint statement sent April 13 to Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, and U.S. Sen John McCain, the committee's ranking member.

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Brown and Kerry pointed out that the measure "does not require any appropriations" because MIT would be "securing its own third-party financing to design and construct the new facilities."

Brown also serves on the Armed Services Committee.

A draft of the legislation stipulates the project must be finished within 10 years.

Brown stated the "public-private partnership could be a model for other Massachusetts installations and bases across the country to thrive and keep our national defense on the cutting edge amid limited federal resources."

Lincoln Laboratory experienced a similar overhaul of its 1950s-era buildings in 1988, according to Tony Sharon, assistant director for operations.

Sharon said the college financed a 10-acre research facility that opened in 1994. He added there's a "good chance" the timeline for the current proposal would be similar.

Sharon said the 18-year-old facility was financed by the government through a 40-year government lease that will be paid off by 2014.

It is still unclear how long the lease for the new project would be. Ruiz said the legislation still needs final approval from Congress.

"When we take people through our older facilities, they then understand the need for a new one," Sharon said.

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